There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which casino wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are situated in a generally tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent location, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 1700, and even though visas are supposedly necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is correct of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau casino, features 150 one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 one armed bandits and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the normal table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international vacation and hotel compound that features numerous comforts in addition to the gambling hall, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight tables.